AITOR Karanka has hit back at the Teesside doom-mongers, insisting: 'let's keep things in perspective'.

Middlesbrough's Spanish boss finds himself in the strange position of having to issue a positive rallying call to fans - despite his side sitting a point clear at the top of the Championship.

Karanka is keen to challenge the 'glass half empty' fans who fear the worst as Boro bid to emerge from their most disappointing run of form so far this season.

The Boro boss insists it's a huge positive that his side have returned to the summit despite taking two points from the last possible 12 as they aim to end the club's seven-year top-flight exile.

And even though the Teessiders could be down to third when they travel to Leeds on Monday if results go against them this weekend, Karanka is intent on pointing out the reasons to be cheerful as the campaign enter what is set to be a nerve-jangling final three months.

He called on supporters to share his positive outlook, and insisted: "That negativity is here always, it's not new. It's more than negativity, it's when you lose your perspective. I can feel the anxiety there is for us to get promotion.

"I can understand supporters as they've been in this situation for the last seven years and are desperate to play in the Premier League.

"I'm like them but sometimes you have to live in the present and think how tough it's been in the last six years.

"Now we're at the top of the table and we have to be pleased, really excited with the future.

"We have a better squad, I'm a year more experienced and I want to transmit all that positive energy. I'm the first one who has to calm everyone."

With Boro set to face both Blackburn and Hull next month, Karanka was planning to take time out of his preparations for the Leeds game to attend the Tigers' visit to Ewood Park today.

He wants fans to embrace the fact that the side is now challenging for honours after seasons of struggle under Gordon Strachan and Tony Mowbray following relegation from the top flight in 2009.

Karanka added: "Look back three, four or five years ago when they were playing for nothing and there were 12,000 at the stadium. Now we've got 25,000, 30,000, so we're in a good way.

"In my first season we finished mid-table, last season we were close and this season we're really good. My message to fans is to trust this team, support them - they deserve it."

Karanka fears expectations were raised to unrealistic levels in the wake of a fourth successive victory with the 2-0 win over promotion rivals Derby at the start of January.

He added: "We were 10 or 12 points ahead of third after beating Derby, and everyone expected our promotion to the Premier League to be sealed by March.

"But this league is difficult, it will probably go down to the wire.

"Teams have good runs and then experience difficult periods where they fail to wins games you might expect them to.

"People wrote off the likes of Burnley and Brighton when they were having a hard time. But that's something I've never done. It's just the nature of the Championship."